What to Bring to the Beach -- Your Simple Food Guide for the Summer

It's been a while since I last posted here. I've been too busy with both work and family concerns. Anyway, summer is here as I we all know too well because of the heat. So I'm sure many of you are planning on going to the beach anytime soon.

Here are some suggestions of food that you can bring to the beach.

Fruits. They are must-haves. You have a lot to choose from. Watermelon, both red and yellow varieties. Melon. Mango, ripe and not. Banana. Singkamas, technically not a fruit but who cares. Dalandan. Fruits are heavy so I suggest you just buy them on your wayto the beach. If you're headed to Quezon, Batangas, La Union, Pagudpod, etc. you will surely find stalls selling fruits along the highway. Some say they are less expensive in stalls like these but I think they are not. I think they put the price a little higher especially if you look "tourist-y". But the good thing is you can bargain. Yes, "tawad" is usually allowed. I may be wrong about the "higher price" so, please don't quote me on this, lol. Anyway, a few pesos added can probably justified by the fact that you don't have to carry them from Manila all the way to the province. But I have another suggestion. You can stop by a local public market to get your fruits. They are priced for the locals -- no tourist factor to consider. But then, not all public markets are along the highway so you would have to exert a little effort looking for it.

Barbecue (or grilled porkchop, liempo, chicken, fish, hotdog). It is easier to prepare this than menudo, afritada, caldereta, etc for lunch. You can just buy meat at the supermarket and marinate it overnight. No need for so many other ingredients. Many resorts have grilling facilities anyway (but make sure you ask when you book your trip).

If you do not want to do anything like grill meat anymore when you are already at the beach, the best food to bring is adobo. It is easier to prepare than the other common ulam plus it doesn't get spoiled fast.

Fried chicken is also good if you have lots of kids. But I suggest you use chicken fillet instead of the usual cuts so you wont have to worry about disposing chicken bones later on (plus regular cuts is more difficult to eat if you will only be  using plastic spoon and fork).

Noodles. Pancit is also good to have. It can be for lunch and snacks. If you're going to take a ling trip, pancit may get spoiled. My suggestion is to ask the resort of any good pansiteria in town. Get its number and order pancit sa bilao in advance. Just pick it up when you reach the place.

So there you go. These are simple stuff to bring to your outing. Nothing really fancy about it so no hassle.

I hope you enjoy your vacation. As for me, I've already been to BORAWAN in Padre Burgos, Quezon with side trips to Dampalitan Island (also in the same place) and Kwebang Lampas at Puting Buhangin in Pagbilao, Quezon. BORAWAN is a beautiful place. Try and visit it. I'm already planning my next trip to La Union or Laiya in Batangas.